Android Smartphones Vulnerable to Hacking; Google Fails Again

Smartphones running on Android OS are apparently still vulnerable to hacking despite Google's efforts to boost protection, with hacking experts affirming that all devices that run on Android can be attacked.

Smartphones running on Android OS are apparently still vulnerable to hacking despite Google's efforts to boost protection, with hacking experts affirming that all devices that run on Android can be attacked.

Experts demonstrated several ways to attack Android smartphones at the Black Hat hacking conference, which kicked off on Wednesday in Las Vegas in the presence of 6,500 corporate and government security technology workers.

Accuvant researcher Charlie Miller demonstrated a method for delivering a malicious code to Android phones using a new Android feature known as near field communications. "I can take over your phone," Reuters quoted her as saying.

Near field communications allow users to share photos with friends, make payments or exchange other data by bringing Android phones within a few centimetres of similarly equipped devices such as another phone or a payment terminal, the news agency reported.

Miller, who spent five years as a global network exploit analyst at the U.S. National Security Agency, where his tasks included breaking into foreign computer systems, said that Android phones can be infected by sticking a small device at inconspicuous places.

"Google is making progress, but the authors of malicious software are moving forward," Sean Schulte of Trustwave's SpiderLabs was quoted saying to Reuters.

"Hopefully Google can solve the problem quickly," said Nicholas Percoco, senior vice president of Trustwave's SpiderLabs. "For now, Android is the Wild West."

The search engine giant had earlier fixed a flaw in Chrome, which is still regarded as not safe to use.

However, Apple iPhones and iPads are free from such threats, as it can push out security updates quickly.